


Star Force Episode #101 - Pilot

by LicieOIC, WorryinglyInnocent



Series: Star Force [1]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV), Star Force - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Once Upon a Time Fusion, Episode: s01e01 Pilot, F/M, Once Upon A Time In Space, Screenplay/Script Format, Script for a Fictional Show, Show within a Show, Star Force
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-03
Updated: 2015-12-03
Packaged: 2018-05-04 17:43:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5342807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LicieOIC/pseuds/LicieOIC, https://archiveofourown.org/users/WorryinglyInnocent/pseuds/WorryinglyInnocent
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Pilot episode of Star Force! The crew of the Force Base spacecraft Aurora Borealis are stranded in an unknown galaxy a long way from home, following a terrible accident that would leave five planets on the brink of war.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Star Force Episode #101 - Pilot

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Friendships and Fandoms](https://archiveofourown.org/works/5053462) by [WorryinglyInnocent](https://archiveofourown.org/users/WorryinglyInnocent/pseuds/WorryinglyInnocent). 



> Here it is, the pilot episode of Star Force, the introduction of all the characters we've grown to love on a fictional sci-fi show! 
> 
> I loved working with Worry on this, this was a true collaboration. I think she really brings out my best writing and I especially loved bouncing ideas back and forth.
> 
> If this is the first episode you are reading, you should know that this was inspired by WorryinglyInnocent's fic, "Friendships and Fandoms," which takes place on the set of the TV series "Star Force." Characters from Once Upon A Time filming a sci-fi show, her fic is the actors' story and you should DEFINITELY read it to avoid getting seriously confused by this script/fic.
> 
> If you would like to download this story in true screenplay format (the way the "actors" would have seen it!), click here:  
> https://docs.google.com/document/d/1aZO_vMfVGZRAHxEO2PGnzvCTFkTViVTAf-TpTumXp40/edit?usp=sharing

Ep. #: 101

STAR  
FORCE

“Pilot”

 

Written by  
WorryinglyInnocent and LicieOIC

Directed by  
Regina Mills

Created by  
WorryinglyInnocent

 

* * *

 

STAR FORCE

#101

“Pilot”

 

SET LIST

INTERIORS

FORCE BASE –

  * INTERSTELLAR OPERATIONS HUB – DAY
  * SPECIAL OPERATIONS CONTROL ROOM – DAY
  * _AURORA BOREALIS_ HANGAR – DAY
  * SPECIAL OPERATIONS CONTROL ROOM - NIGHT



 

_AURORA BOREALIS_ –

  * LOADING BAY – DAY
  * BRIDGE – DAY
  * ENGINEERING – DAY
  * BRIDGE – NIGHT



 

FLASHBACK LOCATIONS -

  * LEYAH’S HOUSE - DAY
  * CHARMING AND KATHRYN’S HOUSE - DAY



 

EXTERIORS

FORCE BASE LAUNCHING PLATFORM – DAY

THE MIDDLE OF SPACE - WORMHOLE SITE   

THE MIDDLE OF SPACE - SOMEWHERE ELSE.

 

 

* * *

CAST LIST

Captain Hook - Killian Jones  
Commander Leyah - Emma Swan  
Lieutenant Charming - David Nolan  
Officer Snow - Mary Margaret Blanchard  
Dr Stiltskin - Rum Gold  
Miss Greenie - Zelena West  
Lieutenant Knight - Lance Camelot  
Officer Hunter - Graham Humbert  
Officer Arendelle - Elsa Snow  
Officer Tink - Tina Bell  
Chief Engineer Gus - Billy Mouse  
Engineer Walsh - Frank Emerald  
Engineer Thomas - Sean Herman  
Force General King - Albert Spencer  
Colonel Rheulgorm - Fae Blue  
Henry - Henry Swan  
Kathryn Charming - Abigail Midas  
Female Presenter - TBD  
Male Presenter - TBD  
Alien Presenter - TBD  
Journalist One - TBD  
Journalist Two - TBD  
Journalist Three - TBD  
Force Base Officer - TBD  
Female Reporter - TBD

 

* * *

 

STAR FORCE

#101

“Pilot”

 

ACT ONE

 

INT. FORCE BASE INTERSTELLAR OPERATIONS HUB – DAY

MONTAGE OF people working in an absolutely enormous open plan hub, with hundreds of computers and media walls showing various different readouts. Everyone is wearing the standard black military uniform of the Star Force Base Grounded Staff, and most have earpieces and headsets, some have smart glasses, some are standing around with tablets and holo-displays.

At one end of the hub there is a raised platform with a much smaller open plan office inside with a full smart media wall at one end – this is obviously the centre of the operations.

Various screens on media walls are showing rolling news footage, including some in foreign and/or alien languages with alien presenters.

FEMALE PRESENTER  
We are about to witness history as the  
opening ceremony of the trans-galactic  
wormhole draws near. This joint venture was  
the catalyst for the long-sought galactic  
peace treaty, uniting all alien races toward  
a common cause. The five ships chosen to  
activate the wormhole are currently being  
prepped for their short voyage, with  
diplomatic envoys set to arrive at any moment.

MALE PRESENTER  
Representatives from the five planetary space  
forces responsible for developing the  
wormhole technology will be the first civilians to  
embark on an outer space journey. Before today,  
it was unheard of to allow untrained  
passengers to travel with our space teams,  
however Star Force political reps say that  
with the successful launch of the wormhole,  
regular space travel for civilians could become  
the norm.

These lines can be filmed by multiple actors, overlapped and cut together to look like all of the news channels are covering this very important story.

ALIEN PRESENTER  
(with various subtitles)  
We are live at Force Base’s interstellar operations  
hub, the base serving as the centre for the  
wormhole crews with their special operations team  
working as the nominate leader of the project.

The camera continues on up to the raised control center.

CUT TO:

INT. FORCE BASE SPECIAL OPERATIONS CONTROL ROOM – DAY

A miniature version of the hub above which it sits, the control room houses around twenty officers, all busily typing away at computers.

At the front of the room, looking at the media wall, is a woman wearing rank stripes on her shoulders, holding a tablet with various holo-displays that she’s manipulating with smart gloves. This is COLONEL RHEULGORM, in charge of all special operations at Force Base. Everything about her screams that she’s all about precision, possibly to an obsessive degree.

The door to the special operations room opens and a middle aged man strides in. Unlike all the rest of the Force Base staff, he’s in full military dress uniform (all black) with epaulettes and medal ribbons, absolutely dripping with gold braid.

Everyone in the room stops what they’re doing, stands and salutes when he enters. This is obviously the biggest cheese in the fridge. His name is FORCE GENERAL KING and he’s in charge of the whole venture.

KING  
At ease!

All the staff return to their work except Rheulgorm, who remains standing to attention at the front of the room until King reaches her.

KING (CONT)  
At ease, Colonel.

She obeys and turns to the media wall, tapping on her tablet to bring up various displays, and she takes the general through their current situation.

RHEULGORM  
So far everything seems to be going according  
to plan, sir. Our ship is almost ready for  
take-off. Readouts from the wormhole site  
appear stable, the incoming envoys are on  
schedule, and the Eldar have already finished  
their flight prep.

KING  
(chuckles)  
Overachievers, those ones. Been around so  
long they know how to streamline everything.

An officer in the front row stands and the two seniors turn to him as he speaks.

OFFICER  
General, the other bases are coming online now.

KING  
Excellent, put them on screen.

King goes over to sit down at the control desk, obviously the place from which everything can be controlled, directly in front of the media wall, and he puts in an earpiece and keys in a password to activate the console. Rheulgorm remains standing behind him with her tablet.

Faces of other military generals in similar operation centres begin to appear on the media wall as the officer announces them.

OFFICER (V.O.)  
Force Base online. Ultramarine Corps online.  
Eldar Homeworld online. Tau High Command  
online. Imperial Inquisitorium online.

Each of these alien forces are humanoid in appearance, but apart from that, they vary a great deal in appearance. Force Base, as we have already seen, is primarily human, while Ultramarines have paler skin, no hair, and gills, since much of their planet is underwater; the Eldar have an air of age about them, though they all look young and elegant with long hair and pointed ears; Tau High Command is a combat based society with dark skin and dreadlocks or mohawks, tribal tattoos and piercings; and the Imperials wear hooded cloaks that shield their faces entirely because they live on a dark planet and must protect their eyes from harsh light, but their hands when we see them are covered in beautiful glow in the dark patterns against darker skin.

Whilst the bases are being announced, King speaks to Rheulgorm in an aside.

KING  
Which ship are we sending out to the site?

RHEULGORM  
The _Aurora Borealis,_ sir. Fastest warp  
core in the fleet.

KING  
_Aurora?_ I thought she was in for refitting?

RHEULGORM  
Master Engineer declared her flight-ready  
yesterday, sir.

KING  
Perfect.

CUT TO:

INT. _AURORA BOREALIS_ HANGAR - DAY

Several engineering staff in their gold uniforms are working on the _Aurora Borealis_ to get her ready for take-off – performing last minute safety checks, etc. She’s a huge space craft, very sleek and shiny, obviously newly refitted and the jewel of the fleet. Everything about her is large and impressive. Some Flight Crew (in red) and grounded staff are packing supplies onto the ship from the loading ramp.

OFFICER TINK, a young petite blonde in Flight Crew uniform with her curly hair in a bun on top of her head, hurries into the foreground, struggling to carry a rucksack on her back and also speak into her smarter phone. The camera follows her progress across the hangar.

TINK  
(into the phone)  
No, no, it’s fine, I got this. I know you’re  
disappointed, but you can barely go two  
minutes without throwing up. Don’t worry  
about the launch, just concentrate on  
getting better. You can watch the launch  
broadcast and I’ll tell you all about it when the  
week is up.

She moves off and the camera halts on another member of the Flight Crew, who is looking up at the ship with a degree of professional awe. She’s a ranked officer with stripes on her shoulders, experienced crew, but you don’t come across a ship like _Aurora Borealis_ every day, and she can’t quite believe that she gets to fly in it. This is COMMANDER LEYAH. She’s pretty but practical, with an air of quiet confidence and calm.

She’s still staring at the ship when another crewmate in red comes up, carrying a large rucksack and obviously packed for a trip. Like Leyah, he has ranking stripes, but not as high. This is LIEUTENANT CHARMING - tall, handsome, and indeed charming; he’s had a very successful Star Force career so far. He clears his throat to get Leyah’s attention and she turns, smiling.

CHARMING  
Commander Leyah, I believe?

LEYAH  
Yes, and you must be Lieutenant Charming.  
Lieutenant Knight is already aboard.  
Pleased to meet you.

CHARMING  
Likewise.

They shake hands and then return their attention to admiring the ship.

CHARMING (CONT)  
Never thought I’d get to go out in _Aurora._  
She really is a beauty. Fastest in the fleet,  
they say.

LEYAH  
Yes, and she might have to be if this venture  
doesn’t go to plan.

CHARMING  
So pessimistic, Commander?

LEYAH  
I prefer ‘realistic,’ Lieutenant. The alliance is  
fragile enough as it is. One false move and…

She trails off with a hand gesture of ‘kaboom,’ indicating how the situation would explode and Charming concedes her point with a grim nod – neither of them need to be told what will happen if something goes wrong.

CHARMING  
Well, it never hurts to have an exit strategy.  
And _Aurora_ would guarantee us a fast exit.

LEYAH  
Exactly.

Officer Tink trots over to them both. She has dropped off her luggage and now carries a small storage container and a scanner. She seems a little frazzled, trying to keep everything organized on a project she didn’t know she was going to be a part of.

TINK  
Reporting to the _Aurora?_

LEYAH  
Um, yeah. Commander Leyah.  
This is Lieutenant Charming.

TINK  
Great to meet you. I’d salute, but uh…

She indicates her full hands. Leyah and Charming smile, they won’t make her stand on ceremony.

CHARMING  
And you are?

TINK  
Oh! Officer Tink, communications.

CHARMING  
I thought Nova was assigned to  
the crew?

TINK  
Sick. Just her luck, she says. She was  
really looking forward to this, too. I’m  
your last-minute replacement.

Her futuristic watch beeps and she looks at it with mild alarm.

TINK (CONT)  
Ooh, very last minute. I need to get a  
wiggle on. Here are your comm devices...

She fishes out an earpiece communicator for Leyah and then one for Charming from the box she’s holding, then scans them with the handheld scanner. It gives a happy little beep, indicating that the sync was successful.

TINK (CONT)  
There, you’re all synced up with the rest of  
the _Aurora!_ See you on board!

She runs off, a busy bee. Leyah and Charming both fit their earpieces on before Leyah gestures to the ramp.

LEYAH (CONT)  
She’s right, we should get a move on. King’ll  
never forgive us if we’re late to launch. Shall we?

As they approach the ramp, we see a stack of metal trunks with MED BAY stamped on the side of them being placed onto the ramp. About halfway up, another flight crew member, LIEUTENANT KNIGHT, is ticking things off on a checklist. He has the same rank stripes as Charming, and from his build is obviously no stranger to combat. Charming raises an eyebrow.

CHARMING  
(to Leyah)  
Are we really expecting so many problems  
on a one-week mission? What’s with all these  
medical supplies?

KNIGHT  
(having overheard Charming’s comment)  
Every ship that leaves Force Base star space is  
legally mandated to have a fully equipped  
med bay and at least one medical officer  
on board. _Aurora’s_ just got back from her  
refit, she needs to be completely restocked.

Charming nods.

CHARMING  
Good to be prepared. So where’s our doctor?

A pair of scaled, obviously alien hands protruding from blue Medical Crew sleeves reaches out of the loading bay and snatches up a trunk, before a similarly scaled face appears, hanging upside down out of the hatch. This is DR STILTSKIN, veteran medical officer, alien, and all-round wild-card.

STILTSKIN  
You rang, dearie?

Charming and Knight just look amused by Stiltskin’s antics, Leyah gives a good-natured sigh of despair.

CHARMING  
Stiltskin! Long time no see, Doc. I thought  
you’d applied for grounding.

STILTSKIN  
Not yet, but with any luck, this will be my  
last trip.

He grabs another trunk and vanishes but we can still hear his voice.

STILTSKIN (CONT) (V.O.)  
I’ve done enough surgery on moving ships to  
last me a lifetime.

Charming and Leyah come up the ramp.

LEYAH  
Lieutenant Charming, Lieutenant Knight.

The two men shake hands. Then another officer runs down the ramp, a tablet in one hand and what looks like a thermal cup in the other. He has wavy brown hair on his head and neatly trimmed facial hair, all in all he looks well put together, but his attitude is harried. This is OFFICER HUNTER, head of security. He breaks through Knight and Charming’s introduction, moving too fast to avoid them, turning sideways to minimize any impact.

HUNTER  
Sorry, sorry, coming through!

KNIGHT  
Hey, where you been?

Hunter turns around at the foot of the ramp.

HUNTER  
Fell asleep on my break. Been here since  
engineering showed up. This whole day has  
been a logistical nightmare.

KNIGHT  
(to Leyah and Charming)  
Officer Hunter, he’s in charge of security.  
(to Hunter)  
This is the Commander and First Lieutenant.

Hunter salutes, knocking himself in the forehead with his tablet. He groans, knowing he’s got to look like every kind of idiot.

HUNTER  
Sorry. I think my brain’s still asleep.

LEYAH  
(grinning)  
It’s okay. Better wake up fast, though.  
Captain’s due to arrive soon.

Hunter closes his eyes briefly, knowing what a zoo that’ll be. He starts backing away.

HUNTER  
Ugh. Thanks for the heads up. Media’s  
gonna be crazy. See you on board.

He takes a long drink from his thermal cup, then tosses it in a receptacle as he jogs over to where the media is being kept behind a barrier to assign more security details.

Knight lets Leyah and Charming past him into the ship proper and they come up into:

INT. _AURORA BOREALIS_ LOADING BAY - Continuous

Various other crew members are moving crates around; Stiltskin is sitting on the floor rummaging through his med bay trunks. (For reference, since he’s mainly seen with his lab coat on, he has the same rank stripes as Charming and Knight.) Leyah and Charming move past him down the corridors towards the bridge.

LEYAH  
Do you know anything about our captain?

CHARMING  
No, only that this is his first command flight  
out. He must be impressive though, to get  
assigned to the _Aurora Borealis_ on a mission  
of this nature…

LEYAH  
Or someone upstairs likes him.  
(beat)  
Maybe Rheulgorm thinks he’s got a cute butt.

They both snort at that; it’s clear that neither of them think very much of the Colonel. They reach the door to the bridge and Charming steps back to let Leyah enter first.

CHARMING  
After you.

CUT TO:

INT. BRIDGE - Immediately following

The bridge is comparatively empty, the rest of the crew are busy getting things on board; there are three female Flight Crew officers at their work stations, setting up computers and logging into control systems ready for take-off.

On the left is Tink, who’s wearing a full headset and mic, obviously in charge of comms, testing the radio systems. She looks up as the others enter and nods acknowledgement, but is occupied with her sound tests.

On the right is OFFICER ARENDELLE, the youngest of the three, just monitoring a bank of screens, she shakes hands with Charming as she is introduced but obviously has already been introduced to Leyah.

In the centre, at the navigational console that is half computer bank, half 3D holo-display, is OFFICER SNOW, the most senior of the three, programming coordinates and syncing them with the other four ships in what will eventually be an impressive-looking and beautifully choreographed launch. She is absorbed in her work and doesn’t look up when the others enter.

LEYAH  
Lieutenant Charming, this is Officer Arendelle  
and Officer Snow.

Snow looks up sharply on hearing Charming’s name and she smiles shyly at him, he returns it. There’s definitely more than meets the eye going on between these two.

CHARMING  
Snow and I have already met.

DISSOLVE TO:

INT. CHARMING AND KATHRYN’S HOUSE - FLASHBACK - DAY

The film is a bit washed out to denote a flashback. KATHRYN, Charming’s wife, is having tea and reading something on a handheld tablet while sitting at a kitchen table.

Charming moves past the open door with two rucksacks that are stuffed full and sets them down in the hall. He comes back to the kitchen door and looks at Kathryn, who hasn’t even looked up.

CHARMING  
Well, I guess I’m out of here.

KATHRYN  
Mm hmm. Be safe.

CHARMING  
Don’t you want to know how long  
I’ll be gone?

His question is loaded, but Kathryn doesn’t react.

KATHRYN  
A month.

CHARMING  
(scoffs)  
Nevermind, then, you’re on top of it.

He leaves without saying goodbye. Kathryn looks up and appears to be waiting for the door to close. Once it does, she smiles and swipes her finger across the screen of the tablet to change apps.

She brings up a chat screen and types: _He’s gone. We have a month this time._

A moment later, a reply comes: _Be there as soon as I can, darling._

Kathryn smiles to herself and sips her tea.

DISSOLVE TO:

INT. FORCE BASE HANGAR - FLASHBACK - Day

Charming strides through the hangar with both rucksacks to a space ship that is in the process of loading (it is a different ship than the _Aurora)._ With a grunt of effort, he puts the sacks down next to a pile of other luggage, then runs his hands down his uniform to smooth it out.

Frowning, he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small velvet box. He closes his eyes in mild frustration with himself and pulls out a futuristic version of a smart phone (smarter phone?). He calls Kathryn.

KATHRYN  
(clearly distracted and giggly)  
Hello?

CHARMING  
Hey. I forgot. Happy anniversary.

KATHRYN  
(surprised to hear from him,  
her voice changes immediately)  
Oh. Right.  
(pause)  
I thought we weren’t doing anything this  
year since you weren’t gonna be here?

CHARMING  
Yeah, but…

He looks at the little box in his hand. He feels stupid. He is clearly still trying to be a good husband, but things have gone past little fixes like this.

CHARMING (CONT)  
You’re right. I just, um… Nevermind.  
(trying to make a joke out of it)  
I just didn’t want you to think I’d  
completely forgotten.

There is a muffled giggle on the other side of the line. Kathryn is clearly _busy._ From the look on Charming’s face, he has no disillusions about what’s happening at home, but he’s not ready to admit it.

CHARMING (CONT)  
I guess I’ll see you when I get back.

He hangs up and sighs. Suddenly, he is bumped into from behind and the velvet box goes flying out of his hand as he struggles to keep a hold of his phone and maintain his balance.

FEMALE VOICE  
Oh! I’m so sorry!

He turns to reveal Officer Snow standing there, looking apologetic, struggling with her own large rucksack.

CHARMING (V.O.)  
(present day Charming)  
Snow and I were on the trip to Ambellis a  
few months back. Aboard the _Zircon Falcon._

CHARMING  
No harm done. Let me help you with that.

He picks up her sack and tosses it onto the pile. She looks relieved.

SNOW  
Thanks. You’d think we wouldn’t need so  
much gear, wearing the same thing every day.

CHARMING  
Hopefully not exactly the same thing.

SNOW  
(laughs)  
No! Ugh, that would get stinky!

They both laugh. She holds out her right hand to him.

SNOW (CONT)  
I’m Snow. Or Officer Snow, if you prefer.

He takes her hand for a brief shake.

CHARMING  
James. Or Lieutenant Charming.

She stifles a giggle. He rolls his eyes good-naturedly, he gets this a lot.

CHARMING (CONT)  
Yes, my name is really Charming.

He expects her to poke fun, but instead she gives him a beautiful smile.

SNOW  
It suits you.

Charming doesn’t quite know how to respond to this, it’s been awhile since he’s actively flirted with someone. Meanwhile, Snow has spotted the little box on the floor and goes to retrieve it.

SNOW (CONT)  
Did you drop this?

He looks at it, almost disappointed to be reminded of his wife and he’s flustered, almost like he got caught cheating.

CHARMING  
Oh, yeah, it’s… it’s silly. I meant to leave  
it at home.

She opens the box to reveal a pretty ring with a green stone in a silver setting.

SNOW  
Pretty.

CHARMING  
Do you like periamonds?

SNOW  
They’re pretty rare around here. I’m not  
really the jewelry type, I’m more interested  
in where the stones come from than  
what they look like. Still...

She looks back at the ring and impulsively pulls it out to try it on.

They both look at the ring on her hand. It shouldn’t mean anything, but suddenly the moment is charged and feels important somehow. Charming looks at Snow’s face. It has softened as she looks at the ring, but then she wrinkles her nose and shakes her head.

SNOW (CONT)  
Nah.

She removes the ring, puts it back in the box.

SNOW (CONT)  
Rings are such an antiquated tradition.

She extends the box back to him, but he shakes his head.

CHARMING  
Keep it.

She lifts her eyebrows at him. He is surprised too, but smiles, trying to keep it light.

CHARMING (CONT)  
Maybe someday you’ll change your mind  
about being a jewelry person.

He goes to move inside the ship, she calls after him.

SNOW  
But… don’t you need it?

He turns back.

CHARMING  
I thought I did.

He moves off. Snow looks at the box in her hand with a bewildered but charmed expression and puts it in her pocket.

FADE TO BLACK.

END OF ACT ONE.

 

ACT TWO

FADE IN:

INT. _AURORA BOREALIS_ HANGAR - PRESENT - Day

The press members are milling in their little area, chatting amongst themselves, when suddenly:

JOURNALIST ONE  
(squeals)  
He’s here!!

Explosive reaction among the press as a small hover car (a little like a golf buggy without wheels) pulls smoothly into view and parks a little way from the line of press representatives, letting out a hiss of smoke from the bottom as it slowly lowers itself to the floor.

A pair of flashy non-regulation boots exits the vehicle and we pan up to see a very handsome man in Flight Crew uniform, with Captain’s stripes on his shoulders and mirrored shades over his eyes, even though he is indoors, standing and looking around at the gathered journalists and photographers with a nod of approval - yes, this is a suitable reception. The smoke swirls around him, making him look mysterious. This is CAPTAIN HOOK.

HOOK  
Have I kept you waiting?

The press is behaving like they are at a rock concert, rushing the barrier and making the additional security details hold them back, all asking questions over one another and the flashes from cameras are all but blinding.

He whips off the shades and moves towards the press line with a kind of careless ease, going to the youngest and prettiest female journalist, who looks like she can’t believe her luck. He kisses the hand not holding her futuristic dictaphone equivalent and she almost swoons. The other lady journalists (and some of the men) look envious.

HOOK  
So…  
(he leans in)  
Have you got a special question  
for me?

The journalist is too starstruck to say anything, she’s just falling into his dreamy blue eyes, so another practically thrusts their microphone up his nose. All of them who aren’t on the verge of fainting start asking questions at once.

JOURNALIST ONE  
How does it feel to be the youngest  
Star Force captain in history?

HOOK  
Pretty good, actually.

JOURNALIST TWO  
Are you nervous about this new assignment?  
Do you think you’re up to the task?

Hook laughs, unconcerned.

HOOK  
Of course! I have every faith in myself.

He pauses and then adds quickly:

HOOK (CONT)  
And in my crew, of course.

JOURNALIST THREE  
What’s your favourite colour?

CUT TO:

INT. FORCE BASE SPECIAL OPERATIONS CONTROL ROOM - SIMULTANEOUS

King and Rheulgorm are watching Hook speaking to the press in the hangar through the glass wall. Rheulgorm has a small smile on her face, secretly fangirling with the rest of them, and King has one eyebrow raised, yet to be fully impressed.

KING  
Hook has shown promise, I’ll give him that,  
but he’s awfully green.  Are you absolutely sure  
in your appointment, Colonel?

The camera pulls into Rheulgorm’s face, then cuts to Hook and pans down to his butt. Cut back to Rheulgorm, who nods to herself in satisfaction.

RHEULGORM  
(slightly dreamy)  
Oh, yes.  
(snaps back to work mode)  
We were all green once, sir.

King nods, conceding her point.

KING  
Fair point. As you were.

CUT TO:

INT. _AURORA BOREALIS_ HANGAR - IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING

The camera angle changes to a view of Hook from the loading dock, at a distance. OFFICER THOMAS and OFFICER WALSH have stopped loading supplies in order to watch Hook interact with the press.

THOMAS  
Well, isn’t that just the way. We’ve been here  
since Oh-five hundred, filling up _Aurora’s_  
belly, doing all the work, then he just  
shows up and already he’s a hero.

WALSH  
I could do with a little of that.

THOMAS  
Couldn’t we all. Might as well be mice  
next to him.

CHIEF ENGINEER GUS exits the Aurora and picks up two storage containers like they are nothing. When Thomas and Walsh see him, they snap back to working, trying to make it look like they weren’t lollygagging, though Gus, of course, has seen them.

Gus is a goodnatured fellow in engineering gold and has no qualms working alongside the other engineering crew, even though his rank (same as Leyah’s) would permit him to delegate and supervise.

GUS  
He might be the captain, but he puts his pants on  
one leg at a time, just like the rest of us.  
Let’s get a move on, gents. Wouldn’t want to  
have to report one of you was the reason we  
were late to launch.

He moves back into the ship with his containers. Walsh and Thomas follow his example, but continue speaking to each other in low tones.

WALSH  
I don’t.

THOMAS  
Don’t what?

WALSH  
Put my pants on one leg at a time. I sit down  
and put them on all at once.

Thomas laughs.

CUT TO:

The camera angle changes again to Hook, bidding farewell to the press with copious winks and disarming smiles. Behind him, the hovercar lets out another long hiss of smoke as it rises back up in the air to turn and depart. Amid the swirling smoke, Hook walks toward the _Aurora_ in slow motion, whipping out his shades and sliding them back on his face. The music is sweeping and epic, a hero ascending to his throne (or captain’s chair as the case may be).

CUT TO:

Hook walking past Thomas and Walsh at normal speed with no epic music. The two engineers shake their heads at each other after the captain has moved past them.

CUT TO:

INT. FORCE BASE SPECIAL OPERATIONS CONTROL ROOM – DAY

A pop-up flashes on Rheulgorm’s tablet and she glances at it, tapping the window to make it go away.

RHEULGORM  
The envoys are here.

She tilts her chin at the window and as King looks down into the hanger, the camera follows his gaze, showing a small group of people at the entrance to the hangar. Their arrival is met with some buzz from the media who is standing the regulation amount of distance away from the spacecrafts. Many flashes from futuristic cameras obscure the view of the envoys temporarily.

RHEULGORM  
Who’s been sent to us from the  
Diplomatic Corps?

CUT TO:

INT. _AURORA BOREALIS_ HANGAR - immediately following

We track a pair of killer stilettos and a wheeled suitcase with a designer pattern across the floor.

KING (V.O.)  
Miss Verdie Greenie. She was our ambassador  
to Xandar for three years, a perfect record  
with the corps.

The camera pans up, revealing Miss Greenie in full length as she arrives at the loading ramp. She’s dressed to kill in green from head to toe, a plunging neckline and extremely tight pencil skirt. Perhaps it’s uncharitable, but we can’t help wondering quite how she got her perfect record. Seduction central springs to mind.

Walsh is on the loading ramp getting the final crates on board as Miss Greenie approaches. She stands there for a moment, expecting Walsh to notice her, then clears her throat pointedly.

He stops what he’s doing and turns to her, his jaw on the floor. He’s completely smitten already.

GREENIE  
Is this the _Aurora Borealis?_ I’m with the  
Diplomatic Corps. I was--

WALSH  
Yes, you’re Miss Greenie, our envoy.

She appears pleased that someone has recognized her.

GREENIE  
Oh? Were you waiting for me?

WALSH  
(embarrassed)  
Well, not… waiting, per se, I, um, saw you  
listed in the manifest. And you being a  
civilian and all… I didn’t want you to get lost.  
(almost shyly)  
I’ve seen you in the media. Your work is  
just… wow.

GREENIE  
Aren’t you sweet.

She reaches out and touches his cheek. He can’t even. Miss Greenie smiles, a slightly hungry expression.

GREENIE (CONT)  
Thanks for keeping an eye out, darling,  
but not to worry. I always land on my feet.

She drops her hand, placing it on the handle of her bag while Walsh tries to remember how to talk. When he just stares at her for a moment longer, she clears her throat again and taps the handle of her bag. He looks at the bag, then gets what she means and jumps into action.

WALSH  
Oh! Right. Um. Can I, erm, help you  
with your bag?

She rolls her eyes while he is busy collecting her bag. Her sweet tone doesn’t betray her mild exasperation at all.

GREENIE  
That would be lovely, thank you.

CUT TO:

INT. LOADING BAY - CONTINUOUS

She comes aboard while Walsh struggles behind her with the luggage and looks around, giving the ship a thorough once-over and raising an eyebrow. She’s an ambassador, used to the life of luxury, and she’s somewhat disappointed in her current surroundings.

GREENIE  
Hmm. Thought it’d be bigger.

It doesn’t sound like it’s the first time she’s said that sentence.

Walsh vanishes off with her case towards the crew quarters, and Greenie stays in the loading bay.

LEYAH (V.O.)  
Miss Greenie?

Greenie turns and sees Leyah at the end of the loading bay.

GREENIE  
That’s me. Ready to make history.

Leyah lifts an eyebrow, unimpressed. Making history is secondary to her, her primary goal is to make sure nothing goes wrong.

LEYAH  
Right. The bridge is this way, please.  
We’re almost ready for take off.

Leyah leaves without waiting to see if Greenie is following. Greenie glares at her back, not appreciating being treated without due deference, and follows her with an annoyed huff.

CUT TO:

INT. BRIDGE - IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING

Leyah is just sitting in her command chair as Greenie enters. Greenie pauses and takes a breath, feeling her moment.

LEYAH  
Captain, final prep is underway in the loading  
bay and our civilian envoy has boarded.

The crew look up to see Miss Greenie, but nothing more than cursory interest. Given that she is, in her own opinion, the most important person on the trip, Greenie is intensely annoyed by this and seeks to remedy the situation with a rousing speech.

GREENIE  
Yes, thank you, Commander.  
(addressing all)  
I am Miss Greenie, your diplomatic envoy and  
the first civilian to travel amongst the stars  
at your side. In the coming week, I’m sure  
we will all…

She trails off as she realizes she is being ignored.

GREENIE (CONT)  
(irritated)  
Hello?  
(muttering)  
I appear to be invisible.

LEYAH  
(to Greenie, without looking up)  
We can all see you, Miss Greenie. We’re  
just a little busy at the moment. You know,  
preparing for launch.

HOOK  
And if anyone’ll be giving speeches, luv,  
it’ll be me.

Leyah points to an empty chair beside Arendelle.

LEYAH  
You’re stationed there. Please make yourself  
comfortable, we’re almost cleared for take-off.

It is an ordinary chair, identical to the other officers. Greenie glares at it, then at the larger command chairs that Hook, Leyah, Charming, and Knight are sitting in, all in a row. It is obvious that she thinks she should be in one of THOSE chairs, not this little out-of-the-way one. The message is clear - the Flight Crew are in charge and Greenie is no longer in Diplomatic Corps HQ.

HOOK  
Officer Tink, what is the departure status?

TINK  
Command is running final checks with the  
other ships now.

Hook leans over towards Leyah with a cocky grin, certain of his ability to effortlessly charm people.

HOOK  
Time for that speech I mentioned. Call the  
bridge officers to attention, Commander.

It’s not unusual for a new captain to address his officers before the first voyage, so Leyah stands up in front of her command chair and stands at attention.

LEYAH  
Officers. Atten-SHUN.

The officers on the bridge stop what they are doing and stand to attention. Miss Greenie remains seated, as a civilian, but interest lights her face. She didn’t get where she is by not paying attention to those who call the shots.

Hook gets to his feet in his own time, still smiling and enjoying being in such a position of power.

HOOK  
At ease.

The officers assume the at ease stance. Hook taps his earpiece.

HOOK  
This is Captain Hook broadcasting on all _Aurora_  
_Borealis_ channels. On behalf of command and  
myself, you should all feel privileged to be a part  
of such an auspicious journey, a turning point in  
galactic exploration and travel. This is an important  
moment, not just in space travel, but for all mankind.  
People will look up to us as they did to the first  
astronauts of old. Setting foot upon a moon that  
had long watched over them, all while wondering if  
there might be more out here amongst the stars. The  
wormhole project will allow further generations  
to explore deeper regions of space…  
(Killian, feel free to improvise, editing will cut as needed.)

As Hook is speaking, Leyah surreptitiously leans backward and checks out Hook’s butt. Charming, on Hook’s other side, catches her looking and lifts his eyebrows, asking her silently:

CHARMING  
(Well? Is it?)

Leyah rolls her eyes and gives a little nod.

LEYAH  
(Oh, yeah. It’s cute.)

Charming smirks but tries to hide it. Well, that settles that question. Hook’s speech fades out as we:

FADE TO BLACK.

END OF ACT TWO.

 

ACT THREE

FADE IN:

INT. _AURORA BOREALIS_ HANGAR - DAY

Thomas and Walsh finish securing the last of the cargo and give each other a high five as they trot up the ramp into the ship. Thomas pounds a large red button on the wall with his fist and they turn to watch the loading bay close itself.

The ship’s loading ramp pulls up and seals itself, and the grounded crew run back out of the way as the platform that the ship is standing on begins to rise up towards the ceiling, which opens up to reveal open sky.

CUT TO:

INT. FORCE BASE SPECIAL OPERATIONS CONTROL ROOM - IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING

The officers are watching the _Aurora Borealis_ arrive on the take-off platform on the media wall. The other commanders are still on the wall too, just squished into the corners.

RHEULGORM  
_Aurora Borealis,_ you are cleared for take-off,  
please proceed at your own discretion.

CUT TO:

INT. BRIDGE - IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING

HOOK  
Officer Snow. Take us out.

Snow smiles, this is her big moment as navigator! Her hands dance over the screens and keyboard in front of her.

CUT TO:

INT/EXT. HANGAR - Immediately following

SHOT OF the Aurora Borealis taking off and zooming out of the hangar into the sky. One after the other, the other ships follow out of the hangar in a beautiful display of aerial acrobatics.

CUT TO:

INT. FORCE BASE SPECIAL OPERATIONS CONTROL ROOM - IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING

CROWD REACTION SHOT of everyone in the control room oohing and ahhing. King and Rheulgorm are particularly proud. They are definitely feeling the moment as well.

CUT TO:

EXT. THE SKY - SAME TIME

SHOT OF all five ships completing the formation and zooming out of the atmosphere in a nice smooth motion.

CUT TO:

INT. BRIDGE - IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING

Snow makes a few more motions, then sits back from the console with a very happy expression.

SNOW  
Aaaaand… we’re locked into the flight  
path. Jumping to warp speed.

The other officers on deck applaud her. Not only did she just kick off their voyage, but she led a whole team of spaceships in a complicated ballet. She is definitely good at her job, to say the least.

CUT TO:

INT. FORCE BASE SPECIAL OPERATIONS CONTROL ROOM - Same time

All officers here are applauding as well. King looks pleased, but he knew his team wouldn’t deliver anything less than an amazing job.

Rheulgorm has her eyes glued to her tablet again, too much of a perfectionist to not monitor things from her end, but there is a smile on her face and color in her cheeks. She is definitely pleased with the outcome as well.

CUT TO:

INT. BRIDGE - Same time

As the applause is dying down, Charming moves to Snow and puts a hand on her shoulder, giving it a squeeze.

CHARMING  
Nice job.

It would look completely innocent, except for Snow blushing and turning her face away. The camera pulls in to Hook with Leyah at his side, excitement simmering just below the surface.

HOOK  
We’re on our way.

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. THE WORMHOLE SITE - DAY

The camera pans round through space to show a ring of five satellites, each one decorated in the same insignias and colours as the five ships.

Suddenly, with a shimmering noise, _Aurora Borealis_ appears out of warp travel, followed by the other alliance ships in the same order that they took off from Force Base in.

CUT TO:

INT. BRIDGE - IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING

All of the Flight Crew, and Miss Greenie, are watching the main display with concentration but also a little awe. Something on Snow’s console beeps and she looks down at it, pressing a button.

SNOW  
Here we are. On time and on target.

HOOK  
Perfect. Officer Tink, what is the status of  
the rest of the convoy?

Tink listens in to her headphones for a moment before speaking.

TINK  
_Manta, Rivendell, Hammer of Sigmar,_  
_Salamander,_ this is _Aurora Borealis,_ are  
we clear to perform locking procedure?

She listens to the inaudible responses then nods.

TINK (CONT)  
(to Hook)  
Everyone is in position.

She presses a button on her console to change the broadcast channel.

TINK (CONT)  
Force Base Special Operations Command,  
this is _Aurora Borealis._ The convoy is in  
position and ready to commence lock.  
Permission to proceed?

CUT TO:

INT. FORCE BASE SPECIAL OPERATIONS CONTROL ROOM - IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING

Everything is as before, King is still seated at the main control console with Rheulgorm behind him. Everyone is looking at the media wall, which is showing a camera feed from one of the satellites so all five ships can be seen. Again the other commanders are still on screen, in the corners.

KING  
Proceed at your discretion, _Aurora._

CUT TO:

INT. BRIDGE - IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING

Everyone is looking at Tink expectantly.

TINK  
We are clear to proceed at your  
mark, Captain.

HOOK  
Good. Officer Snow, proceed with lock.

Snow’s hands dance over her console. In the background, the bridge door opens and Stiltskin enters, lab coat on, unseen by the others. He stands at the back of the bridge, behind Miss Greenie, watching the display like the rest of the crew.

Snow’s concentration is fierce as she watches the display screen and maneuvers the ship to the docking port.

SNOW  
(as she works)  
It’s just like… threading a needle…

A _very expensive_ needle. Everyone’s aware of how deft Snow needs to be in order to do this, so it’s very quiet and intense on the bridge, at least until Stiltskin pipes up, breaking the calm.

STILTSKIN  
Well, it’s certainly impressive from  
this angle.

Miss Greenie gives a squawk of alarm, turns round to see Stiltskin, and gives another on seeing the alien.

MISS GREENIE  
Good gracious!

Hearing the disturbance, Hook turns round. His irritation at the interruption is compounded by seeing that Stiltskin isn’t human.

HOOK  
Dr Stiltskin, isn’t it? Shouldn’t you  
be at your post?

STILTSKIN  
If I had any patients, I would be. But since  
most of my prospective patients are either  
here or in engineering, I thought I had  
better be on hand in case anything went amiss.  
(pause)  
And I figured being here would provide me  
with a better view.  
(pause)  
I wasn’t wrong.

HOOK  
(irritated)  
You weren’t assigned to be our medical officer in  
order for you to ‘appreciate the view.’ You should be  
at your post.

STILTSKIN  
(condescending)  
I know you’re new at this, captain, so perhaps  
you’re unaware, but having seen as many  
missions go wrong as I have, I’ve learned being  
on hand is more valuable than being where one is  
‘supposed’ to be.  
(grins)  
The view is just a side benefit.

Hook opens his mouth to say something else but then Snow speaks.

SNOW  
We’re in position. Commencing lock with satellite.

CUT TO:

EXT. WORMHOLE SITE - IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING

Each of the ships move slowly into position, the nose fitting into a specially designed port with a suitably dramatic clunk.

CUT TO:

INT. BRIDGE - IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING

Stiltskin has since sat down in a spare chair beside Greenie.

SNOW  
We’re locked to the satellite.

Hook speaks into internal comms.

HOOK  
Bridge to Engineering, please proceed with  
warp core link up.

CUT TO:

INT. ENGINEERING - IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING

The main engineering section is built around a huge glowing warp core which pulses steadily. Gus, Thomas and Walsh are standing around it, other engineering crew can be seen in the background.

GUS  
(over comms to Hook)  
Copy that, Bridge.  
(to Thomas)  
Time to lock and load.

THOMAS  
Yes sir!

Gus and Thomas begin carefully unhooking wires and pipes from the warp core and plugging them into different ports. Meanwhile, Walsh is typing on a heavy duty computer terminal on the wall.

GUS  
(to Thomas)  
Easy does it. She needs a gentle touch.

THOMAS  
Oh, I know, sir. She’s a distinguished lady.

WALSH  
Nice way of saying ‘old.’

Thomas and Gus are almost offended by the remark.

GUS  
Bite your tongue!

THOMAS  
(at the same time)  
You want to offend her?

Walsh lifts his hands into the air, heaven forbid that he offend the SHIP. Thomas eases the final jack into the port lovingly, gives it a fond pat, and takes a step back to admire.

THOMAS (CONT)  
(to the ship)  
There we are, girl, nice and painless.

WALSH  
(calling over to them from the terminal)  
Readings are stable so far.

GUS  
Thanks Walsh.  
(to Hook over comms)  
Engineering to Bridge, we’re all set down here.  
Warp core is locked to satellite, all readings  
stable. Waiting on your command.

CUT TO:

INT. FORCE BASE INTERSTELLAR OPERATIONS HUB - DAY

The majority of the staff are watching the news footage on a large media wall. As before, there are many different reports, the camera focuses on one, which is showing the same satellite images from the wormhole site as the ships get into position and lock down. The satellites begin to slightly pulse with light.

FEMALE REPORTER (V.O.)  
As you can see, all five of the allied ships have  
arrived at the wormhole site and have linked  
up with their satellites, each specially designed  
by the greatest scientific minds from each of the  
five contributing planets. As we speak, the ships will  
be locking in their warp cores to charge up the  
satellites which, when fully charged, will create a  
wormhole that will stretch from one end of our  
galaxy to the other…

CUT TO:

INT. BRIDGE - IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING

Hook pauses for a moment for dramatic effect.

HOOK  
(to Gus over comms)  
Bridge to Engineering, standby for warp  
core charge.

CUT TO:

INT. ENGINEERING - IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING

GUS  
(to Hook over comms)  
Copy that, Bridge. Engineering standing by.

WALSH  
(to Thomas)  
Why are we always standing by? Why can’t  
we just do it?

THOMAS  
That’s not how it works, Walsh, and we’re not the  
only ship out here. We have to wait for sync.

CUT TO:

INT. BRIDGE - IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING

Hook rubs his hands together, grins at Leyah.

HOOK  
Ready to be famous, luv?

Leyah frowns at him.

LEYAH  
I’m not your ‘love.’  
(to Tink)  
What is the status from the rest  
of the convoy?

TINK  
The other ships are all standing by,  
ma’am.

HOOK  
Tell them to sync countdown and  
commence charge.

TINK  
Yes sir.  
(over external comms to other ships)  
_Manta, Rivendell, Hammer of Sigmar,_  
_Salamander,_ this is _Aurora Borealis._  
Sync countdown on my mark and  
commence warp core charge.

CUT TO:

INT. FORCE BASE SPECIAL OPERATIONS CONTROL ROOM - SIMULTANEOUS

Superimposed over the satellite images from the wormhole site is a 5-0 countdown.

MONTAGE of shots of King, Rheulgorm, the other SOC staff, the Hub staff, the press outside, all watching, all holding their breath. As the countdown reaches 0, we:

CUT TO:

INT. ENGINEERING - IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING

As before.

GUS  
Here we go!

He pulls a large lever by the warp core and it suddenly changes from pulsing steadily with a pleasant, warm light and gentle hum to a powerful, throbbing sound and bright, harsh light.

GUS (CONT)  
(shouting into comms over the  
sound of the warp core)  
Warp core charge active!

MONTAGE OF the other four ships also activating their warp cores.

CUT TO:

EXT. WORMHOLE SITE - IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING

The satellites are shining a little brighter with power as they are charged. Everything appears to be going according to plan. In the middle of the satellites, where previously there was nothing but empty space, the stars appear to bend slightly, showing the wormhole beginning to activate.

CUT TO:

INT. ENGINEERING - Immediately following

The warp core is still burning bright and humming powerfully, but the engineers appear calm and happy. All is normal so far.

WALSH  
(Shouts over from the terminal)  
Fifty percent power! All readouts stable!

CUT TO:

EXT. WORMHOLE SITE - CONTINUOUS

The satellites continue to glow brighter until they reach full power. The gently bending wormhole changes into a beautiful swirly tunnel. It worked!

CUT TO:

INT. FORCE BASE CONTROL ROOM - CONTINUOUS

Everyone is clapping and the media is reporting the resounding success of the venture. King and Rheulgorm look at each other, smiling. Everyone is already thinking about how they’re going to celebrate such a job well done.

CUT TO:

INT. BRIDGE - CONTINUOUS

Everyone is watching the display screen in awe. It’s impressive and beautiful and one of the things they all joined Force Base for, to see amazing advancements in space travel and exploration. They’re making history. It hits some deeper than others.

LEYAH  
It’s beautiful.

Everyone is in agreement there.

CUT TO:

INT. ENGINEERING - MOMENTS LATER

Suddenly, the warp core ominously wavers, then goes blindingly brighter, the sound of the charge whirring louder and louder. Warning tones are sounding from the terminal and Gus turns frantic as he tries to figure out what’s going on.

GUS  
(shouting over the noise)  
The charge jumped to one thousand percent!

THOMAS  
That shouldn’t be possible! It should have--

GUS  
Let’s not be focusing on what should have  
happened and fix what did!

CUT TO:

EXT. WORMHOLE SITE - CONTINUOUS

_Aurora’s_ satellite creates a domino effect, with the excess of power leaking through to the connected satellites. One by one, they all start to overcharge.

The beautiful swirly tunnel suddenly begins to spin faster.

CUT TO:

INT. BRIDGE - CONTINUOUS

The entire crew reacts as the whole ship lurches. They grab onto their chairs/stations/etc in order to remain upright.

HOOK  
What’s happening?

Arendelle is tapping her station frantically, taking readouts of what’s going on.

ARENDELLE  
The satellites are overloading! We’re being  
sucked toward the wormhole!

CUT TO:

EXT. WORMHOLE SITE - CONTINUOUS

One of the ships (not _Aurora)_ is ripped from the satellite docking port and sucked through the wormhole. As the same thing begins to happen to a second ship, we:

CUT TO:

INT. BRIDGE - CONTINUOUS

Close on Hook, dramatic, as he looks to Snow.

HOOK  
Snow, you’ve got to get us out of here!

Jump to Snow, whose face has gone pale. Once again, the pressure is on her, but now it’s a thousand times worse. If she fails this, they might all be killed.

She turns to her station and sets about unlocking from the docking port.

CUT TO:

EXT. WORMHOLE SITE - CONTINUOUS

The ship disconnects from the satellite and instantly is pulled toward the wormhole, but the engines light up, making the progress halt as the _Aurora_ goes into hard reverse. But it isn’t enough. She’s still being slowly pulled toward the wormhole. Another ship flies past them, sucked into the wormhole, a vision of their fate unless Snow can get them out.

CUT TO:

INT. BRIDGE - CONTINUOUS

Close on Snow, her expression intense, her hands locked on her station as she tries to get the ship to fight the pull of the wormhole.

SNOW  
Snow to Engineering! Divert all non-essential  
power to engines!

CUT TO:

INT. ENGINEERING - CONTINUOUS

Gus moves fast to follow her order.

GUS  
(to the ship)  
Come on, girl, show me what you got…

CUT TO:

EXT. WORMHOLE SITE - CONTINUOUS

The ship’s engines glow brighter, but it barely slows their progress towards the wormhole. The fourth ship careens past them and into the wormhole. The _Aurora_ is the only one left.

CUT TO:

INT. FORCE BASE COMMAND CENTER - SIMULTANEOUS

Chaos. Everyone is talking at once, alerts are going up on all screens, the media is in a frenzy. King stares at the display, aghast. Rheulgorm also seems surprised, but by no means as upset as we think she should be.

KING  
(to anyone)  
What the hell is happening out there??

CUT TO:

INT. BRIDGE - MOMENTS LATER

The whole ship is shaking with the effort of the sustained hard reverse.

SNOW  
It’s no good, Captain, Engineering’s giving it all she’s  
got and we’re still being pulled into the wormhole!

Hook hesitates. Leyah looks at him, she sees how out of his depth he is and realizes this is even worse than she thought. They’ve got an under-experienced captain in a real emergency situation.

LEYAH  
(get your head in the game!)  
Your orders, captain?

He looks at her, realizing that everyone is depending on him to make the right call. He shutters his look of panic almost immediately, but Leyah has seen past his mask of confidence. He looks back at the display screen. Well, if they’re going to be pulled in no matter what…

HOOK  
Everyone, strap in!

A flurry of movement. The chairs have full five-point harnesses which all of the crew fasten with ease except Miss Greenie, wearing a tight skirt she can’t really get the final strap up between her legs and the harness won’t lock unless all five points are in.

Stiltskin sees her struggling, rolls his eyes and undoes his harness, diving across and crash tackling her out of her seat and under the nearest station just as the ship jumps into the wormhole.

CUT TO:

EXT. OUTSIDE THE SHIP - CONTINUOUS

The _Aurora Borealis_ is the last of the alliance ships to be sucked into the swirling vortex of painful-looking possible death ™. Just after she disappears, the satellites reach maximum capacity and explode one after the other, shutting down the wormhole, leaving the space empty but for some debris from the exploded satellites.

END OF ACT THREE

 

ACT FOUR

SMASH CUT TO:

EXT. SPACE - AS BEFORE

Thanks to the hard reverse, the _Aurora_ is now being flung to the other side of the opposite galaxy.

CUT TO:

INT. BRIDGE - IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING

Maximum turbulence!

HOOK  
Brace yourselves!

CUT TO:

EXT. OUTSIDE THE SHIP - SAME TIME

The ship is battered and blown about, crashing through small meteorites and other space debris, creating minor damage to the ship.

CUT TO:

INT. BRIDGE - SAME TIME

The crew all cover their heads; under the desk Stiltskin keeps Greenie’s head down and she burrows against his chest with a muffled scream as the ship lurches.

CUT TO:

INT. ENGINEERING - SIMULTANEOUS

The engineering crew are all braced, watching the warp core moaning and flickering under the strain; red alarm lights and klaxons are going off all around.

Finally the ship’s movement steadies.

CUT TO:

EXT. OUTSIDE THE SHIP - SIMULTANEOUS

The _Aurora Borealis_ is floating in deep space, nothing at all in the immediate vicinity.

CUT TO:

INT. ENGINEERING - MOMENTS LATER

The warp core quietens to its usual hum, then begins to stutter before fading and flickering out, depleted and in dire need of a lengthy recharge. The lights briefly go out and the emergency lights come on. Most of the ship’s power is now automatically going to sustaining the depleted warp core.

Gus, Thomas, and Walsh carefully come out and come over to look at the core; the klaxons have stopped wailing but the red lights are still flashing.

CUT TO:

INT. BRIDGE - IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING

The bridge is also functioning on emergency power and most of the stations have gone dark. The crew establish that everyone’s all right and unfasten their harnesses. Charming, Leyah, Hook, and Knight move closer to the display screen to look out at the vast expanse of empty space.

CHARMING  
Where the hell are we?

Snow begins getting the navigation console back online. Meanwhile, under the desk, Stiltskin scrabbles out from on top of Greenie and sticks out a hand to help her up.

GREENIE  
Thank you.

She stays holding his hand for a second too long, Stiltskin looks down at his hand and yanks it out of her grip since she shows no signs of letting go.

GREENIE (CONT)  
You saved my life.

Ordinarily this would be the beginning of a grand romance, but Stiltskin clearly isn’t interested.

STILTSKIN  
I’m a doctor. It’s my job.

He moves away, calling to the crew at large to find out if anyone needs medical attention. Snow is back online and typing furiously. Hook taps his comm.

HOOK  
Captain to engineering. How’s  
she looking?

CUT TO:

INT. ENGINEERING - IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING

Gus and Thomas are looking at the depleted core in dismay.

GUS  
Not good, Captain. The warp core’s  
almost completely down.  
(sigh)  
We won’t be going anywhere  
for a while.

CUT TO:

INT. BRIDGE - IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING

Hook reacts to the news with disappointment but not a lot of surprise.

HOOK  
Thanks, Gus. Just do your best  
down there.

GUS (V.O.)  
Yes, Captain.

Hook goes over to where the other Flight Crew except Tink are gathered around Snow. Tink is still at her station, trying to get in touch with home.

TINK  
Force Base Special Operations Command,  
come in please, this is _Aurora Borealis,_  
grid co-ordinates unknown. Please come in, SOC.

There’s only static and white noise in response and Tink shakes her head.

TINK (CONT)  
(to Hook)  
We’ve lost comms with the base.

HOOK  
The comm system is down?

TINK  
No, the system is functioning, it’s just not  
making contact.

Hook is beginning to grasp how serious the situation is.

HOOK  
Just how far are we?

CUT TO:

INT. FORCE BASE SPECIAL OPERATIONS CONTROL ROOM - SIMULTANEOUS

All the officers are standing and staring in horror at the media wall which is showing a slow-mo replay of the ships being sucked into the Terrifyingly Terrible Vortex Of Terror ™. There’s silence apart from a burst of white noise from the comms station on King’s desk. He presses a button and speaks into his mic.

KING  
_Aurora Borealis,_ this is Force General  
George King, come in please.

There’s no response. The same front row officer from before looks down at multiple flashing lights on his desk. As the seconds pass, more and more little lights begin flashing.

OFFICER  
General, we have incoming from all the  
other bases.

King sighs, he knows what’s going to happen now.

KING  
Put them on screen.

Like before, the screen fills with images from the other command bases and immediately everyone starts talking over each other, with everyone blaming everyone else for the tragedy. King says nothing and just lets them squabble for a moment, waiting his turn to get a word in edgeways.

CUT TO:

INT. BRIDGE - IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING

The crew are gathered around Snow’s console as she finishes coding and a holo-display pops up.

SNOW  
Well, this is where we are.

She points out a dot on the display which zooms out to show a galaxy.

SNOW (CONT)  
And this is where we started.

The display rushes through time and space to show the Force Base homeworld. The whole display then zooms out to show the distance between the two, the ship is in an entirely different galaxy from the base. Shown as two glowing dots, it doesn’t look that far, but by space travel standards, the distance is staggering and the crew knows it.

SNOW (CONT)  
We came through the wormhole alright, but then  
jumped directly to warp due to the hard  
reverse. Like a slingshot effect.

LEYAH  
So… we’re in a completely different galaxy?

No-one says anything for a long time as they take it all in. They’re thousands of light years from home with no comms and a depleted warp core, and no wormhole to take them back. They’re stranded.

No-one speaks but their faces say it all. Stiltskin is the first to react.

STILTSKIN  
(sourly)  
Well, that’s just peachy.

He leaves the bridge, punching the doorframe on his way out. Arendelle watches him go.

ARENDELLE  
(to the others)  
Should we…

Charming shakes his head.

CHARMING  
Give him a minute to calm down.

HOOK  
(muttering)  
Imps are notorious drama queens.

‘Imp’ is a racial slur against Stiltskin’s alien race and Leyah shoots Hook a look, but Hook doesn’t see it. Just then the internal comms system comes to life.

GUS (V.O.)  
Engineering to bridge, what’s going  
on up there?

CUT TO:

INT. ENGINEERING - IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING.

Gus and Thomas are working on the warp core, making sure that what’s left is stable etc.

GUS  
We’ve got her stable down here but it’s  
not looking good, she’s in a bad way  
and the backup engines are overheated as  
well. How long till we can get back to base?

There’s no reply over comms.

GUS (CONT)  
(puzzled by lack of response)  
Captain? Commander? Anyone up there?

CUT TO:

INT. BRIDGE - IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING.

GUS (V.O.)  
Come in, Bridge.

Hook goes to reply but Leyah stops him with a hand on his arm and shakes her head.

LEYAH  
(to Hook)  
They deserve to be told in person.  
(to Gus over comms)  
Sit tight, Gus, I’m coming down.

GUS (V.O.)  
Will do, Commander.

We follow Leyah as she leaves the bridge to go towards Engineering.

Music cue: Falling Away. Halfway down the hall, she stops and leans against the wall, burying her face in her hands, breaking down in the way that she can’t on the bridge. She stays like this for a moment, then wipes her eyes, holds her head up high and continues on with grim determination.

CUT TO:

INT. ENGINEERING - MOMENTS LATER

We see Leyah enter and speak to Gus and Thomas, explaining the situation, and we see their reactions but we hear nothing. The music fades out as:

FADE TO:

INT. BRIDGE - NIGHT

Hook and Leyah are sitting at their posts. Tink is still at the comms station, trying in vain to get through to home.

TINK  
(hoarsely)  
Force Base Special Operations Command,  
come in, this is _Aurora Borealis._ We are  
stranded. SOC, do you read? This  
Force Base ship _Aurora Borealis--_

LEYAH  
(to Tink)  
Tink. Go and get some rest. We’ll keep  
trying in the morning.

TINK  
(resigned)  
Alright. Thank you, Commander.

She leaves the bridge, leaving Hook and Leyah alone. Leyah looks down at her hands, there’s a shoelace tied round one of them.

DISSOLVE TO:

INT. LEYAH’S HOME - FLASHBACK - Day

The film has kind of washed out and misty colours to show it’s in the past. Leyah and her son HENRY are getting ready to leave the house. Henry is tying his shoes when the lace breaks.

HENRY  
(calling)  
MOOOOOOM!

Leyah pauses in finalizing packing her rucksack and looks up to see what has distressed her son. She smiles when she sees Henry holding up his broken shoelace.

LEYAH  
Well, that’s no good. Can’t go to school with  
a floppy shoe, can you?

He smiles, and that was her goal, to get him happy again. She opens a drawer that turns out to be full of random crap, a junk drawer that they’ve both contributed to with adult and child items all chucked inside. She rummages for a minute and produces a brand new package of laces.

LEYAH  
Here we go!

Henry pulls a face.

HENRY  
But mom, those are white. I can’t have white  
laces with black shoes. It’ll be weird.

She looks into the drawer again, but there aren’t anymore laces. She kneels down to help him thread the new lace into his shoe, absently taking the broken lace and sticking it into the pocket of her uniform.

LEYAH  
Sorry, kid. We’ll have to go shopping for black  
laces when I get back from the mission.

He is placated with this answer because he is a sensible kid, almost a little too mature for his age. Leyah helps him quickly readjust the laces with a jaunty bow.

HENRY  
Okay. Thanks Mom.

Leyah smiles as he races towards the front door, late for school, then races back and throws his arms around her.

HENRY  
Come back soon, okay?

LEYAH  
It’s just a short trip. I’ll see you in a  
week, I promise.

She kisses Henry’s cheek before he leaves the house, waving, and Leyah gets back to her feet, absently sticking her hands in her pockets. She pulls out the broken shoelace, having forgotten she’d stuck it there. As she looks at the shoelace in her hand, we:

DISSOLVE TO:

INT. BRIDGE - AS BEFORE

Leyah is still looking down at the shoelace.

HOOK  
Leyah? Leyah?

She jerks her head up; he’s obviously been trying to get her attention for a while.

LEYAH  
Sorry, miles away.

He gestures at the vastness of space on the display screen.

HOOK  
So are we.  
(at her look)  
Okay. Too soon. I get it. Why don’t you go,  
I’ve got this. You need your rest too.

Leyah looks like she’s about to protest but thinks better of it and gets up to leave.

LEYAH  
Alright. Thank you, Captain.

She leaves the bridge, leaving Hook alone in the captain’s chair, staring out at the vast wilds of space.

He runs a hand over his face, clearly at a loss. This was supposed to be a short mission and then he’d come back to base, even more famous. Now he has all these people counting on him to lead them and make the right decisions.

He blows out a breath and reaches into the pocket of his uniform to retrieve a sleek silver flask. Being alone on the bridge, he has no qualms taking a long pull from the flask.

DISSOLVE TO:

INT. FORCE BASE SPECIAL OPERATIONS CONTROL ROOM - NIGHT

The room is empty, all of the staff have gone home (although through the glass at the end we can see that the operations hub is still working, albeit with less staff and less lighting). The lights are dim apart from the strip above the control console.

King is still sitting there, staring at a media wall of blank screens and the occasional flicker of static. He has removed his dress jacket and it sits on the back of his chair; he is wearing a standard black uniform top (but still with impressive rank stripes) beneath it. Dog tired but stubborn as a mule, he presses a button on the console, grimaces at the burst of white noise, and speaks into his mic.

KING  
_Aurora Borealis,_ this is Force General  
George King, come in please _Aurora._

There’s no response, just static, and he leans back in the chair, closing his eyes. He’s obviously been doing this ever since they lost contact with the ship.

The door opens and Rheulgorm enters. She’s surprised to find the general still there.

RHEULGORM  
Oh, I wasn’t expecting you still to be here, sir.

She comes over to him and pauses in her customary spot behind his left shoulder.

RHEULGORM (CONT)  
You should go and get some rest. Sitting here  
won’t make them come back any quicker and  
your energy would be better spent elsewhere.  
Maybe it’s best just to let this one go.

King turns to look at her sharply; the suggestion is an unthinkable one.

KING  
You expect me to let a ship and her entire  
crew go, Colonel? Just write them off as a  
terrible accident and sweep them under the  
rug? This is the worst tragedy Force Base has  
ever witnessed.

RHEULGORM  
(hastily cuts in to amend her meaning)  
I meant for tonight, there’s nothing more  
you can do until morning. The hub will keep  
pinging them throughout the night and the  
system will let you know the moment  
there’s contact.

KING  
I shouldn’t have to be told when there’s  
contact, I should be here.

Rheulgorm gently puts her hands on his shoulders, as if she’s going to give him a massage, but he shrugs her off.

RHEULGORM  
You can’t stay here forever, General.

King stands and puts on his jacket again.

KING  
(sighs)  
You’re right. I can’t put this off any  
longer. I need to speak to the families.

They begin to walk out of the control room and hub.

RHEULGORM  
Sir, you’re talking about hundreds of people.

KING  
Yes, I should have started on it sooner. But I--

He breaks off. He is deeply upset, but trying his best to rely on his training to hold himself together. He’s not looking forward to talking to the families, but is too much of a good man not to inform them in person. He clears his throat and visibly pulls himself back to the task at hand.

KING (CONT)  
We need to make arrangements for the care of  
the commander’s son, too.

RHEULGORM  
(interrupting)  
I can do that, sir; I’ll get on to the fostering  
agency straight away.

King shakes his head.

KING  
No, there’s no need to go that far. This is  
only a temporary situation. We’ll take him in  
as a ward of the base until his mother returns.

He has no idea if it’s a temporary situation or not, but he’s working on the principle that if he can say it with enough conviction it will be true.

Rheulgorm is obviously not in agreement, but she’s outranked and must follow the order.

RHEULGORM  
As you wish, General. I shall make the  
necessary arrangements.

They leave the room together, and the lights go out.

BLACKOUT.

END OF EPISODE

 

ROLL CREDITS.


End file.
